#VeteranOfTheDay Army, Marine Corps Veteran Eric Michael Emond

Veteran of the Day graphic created by Kimber Garland for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army and Marine Corps Veteran Eric Michael Emond. Eric served during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Massachusetts native Eric Emond enlisted with the Marine Corps after graduating high school in 1997. After serving out his enlistment with the Marines, Eric enlisted with the Army and was assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group, where he reached the rank of sergeant 1st class. During his 21 years of service, Eric was deployed seven times overseas and became highly decorated, earning three Bronze Stars, two Purple Hearts, a Meritorious Service Medal, and over a dozen other awards and commendations.

On his fifth deployment, Eric was severely wounded following a five-hour battle in which he sustained spinal and brain injuries. Despite the severity of his injuries, Eric managed to recover and continued to serve with the 3rd Special Forces.

While not deployed overseas, Eric spent his time assisting the families of fallen soldiers, founding the nonprofit organization, Massachusetts Fallen Heroes, which helps connect the family members of fallen soldiers with support networks.

Eric served his last deployment in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army Special Operations Force, Operational Detachment-Alpha team. There he participated in Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, where he and his fellow soldiers advised and assisted Afghan forces.

On Nov. 27, 2018, while participating in a joint operation with Afghan forces in Ghazni Provence, Eric and two other U.S. Special Forces soldiers were killed by an improvised explosive device.

We honor his service.

Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Contributors:

Graphic designer: Kimber Garland

Fact checker: Brinsley Eriksen

Editor: Taryn Gehman